🌳 A large tree 🪵 Hard wood

elm

16 1.6

A large tree with broad leaves that gives shade

noun
/ɛlm/

: olmo

We planted that elm tree in the backyard.
American elm
Dutch elm
elm disease (DED)

They're kind of trashy Elms and silver poplars.

Autoplay Next

Examples

The favored materials were elm and birch, which were imported because neither wood was native to Egypt.

Academic text (2004)
American elms were planted everywhere until the early 1940s, when Dutch elm disease spread rapidly.

Academic text (1996)
By the way, I meant to tell you... there are trees in this forest very similar to elm.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Only trees get elm blight... elm trees.

Hollywood Ending (2002)
Townsend says, "The loss of these American elms has not been just economic."

Academic text (1996)
Stace saw the men, women, and children milling around the giant elm that was known as the auction tree.

Fiction book (1990)
Both of the new cultivars have the classic elm shape that made their predecessors so desirable as shade trees.

Academic text (1996)
"But, ironically," says Townsend, "the American elm, Ulmus americana, is the elm species most susceptible to the European disease."

Academic text (1996)
The earth shook again, and a spindly baby elm cracked and scratched his face, falling gently across the walkway.

Fiction book (1994)
In our park, there's a majestic elm that provides shade during the summer.

Synonyms

elm tree

vselm

3 2.1

A large tree with broad leaves and strong wood often planted in parks and streets for shade

has identical meaning but is the shorter single word form

Compounds

elm tree

3 2.1

A large tree with broad leaves and strong wood often planted in parks and streets for shade

Chinese elm

1 4.1

A fast-growing tree from Asia with small leaves often planted for shade or as a garden tree

Dutch elm disease

Specialized

1 4.5

A sickness of elm trees caused by a fungus that makes leaves wilt and trees die

American elm

1 4.6

A large shade tree from eastern North America with wide, arching branches

cedar elm

8.2

A medium-sized tree with rough corky bark and drooping branches

dwarf elm

Specialized

5.8

A small Asian tree with many branches and small leaves that grows quickly and makes a good windbreak in gardens

Dutch elm fungus

Specialized

6.5

A fungus that causes a disease that kills elm trees

Dutch elm

7.0

A tree from two kinds of elm grown for shade in parks and gardens

Dutch-elm beetle

Specialized

8.6

An insect that spreads a fungus that kills elm trees

elm family

Specialized

6.1

A family of flowering trees and shrubs that includes elm and hackberry

English elm

6.0

A tall, broad tree with many leaves often planted in parks in Europe

European elm

3.6

A broad, spreading tree with rough leaves that grows naturally in Europe and is often planted in parks

European field elm

7.1

A European tree with shiny leaves that people plant for decoration

Guernsey elm

Specialized

8.4

A tree with upright branches and broad leaves grown for its neat shape

Huntingdon elm

8.4

A tall elm tree grown for its pretty shape and leaves

Jersey elm

Specialized

7.7

A type of English elm grown for upright branches and broader leaves

red elm

6.9

A North American elm tree with red leaves or bark and hard, strong wood

rock elm

7.0

A large tree from eastern North America with very strong wood and a graceful shape

September elm

7.9

A type of elm tree that flowers in autumn in the southeastern United States

Siberian elm

6.8

A fast-growing Asian tree used for wind shelter and city planting

silky elm

Australian

7.4

A large Australian tree with very soft leaves and smooth bark

slippery elm

Specialized

8.1

A North American tree with rough leaves whose inner bark is used in medicine

smooth-leaved elm

7.5

A European tree with shiny smooth leaves often planted for decoration

Spanish elm

9.9

A large tropical American tree with strong, durable wood and creamy white flowers

water elm

6.7

A tree with wide branches that grows near water

Wheatley elm

8.6

A grown variety of English elm with upright branches and broad leaves used as a decorative tree

white elm

6.4

A large tree from eastern North America with wide branches that give good shade

wing elm

9.6

A North American tree with rough, thick bumps on its branches that look like wings

winged elm

9.1

A North American tree with thick ridges on its small branches and new growth

witch elm

8.8

A European elm tree with wide branches used for shade

wych elm

9.5

A large tree from Europe and Asia with broad leaves often grown for shade

How Big

European elm

3.6

elm

16 1.6

sapling

16 2.7

seedling

20 2.8

Surface Forms

elm singular

elms plural

Etymology

Elm comes from very old German words for the same tree, and you can still see this in German Ulme and Latin ulmus. So elm today means the large, broad-leaved tree that gives shade.